The present invention is directed to a docking station for a cellular mobile handset that serves the dual function of recharging the cellular mobile handset and which also couples a standard POTS telephone set, or POTS-like telephone unit such as a facsimile machine, to the transceiver of the cellular mobile handset. Such a docking station has been manufactured and sold by Telular Corp. of Vernon Hills, Ill. under the name xe2x80x9cCELDOCKxe2x80x9d. This docking station requires that the cellular mobile handset be physically located and docked in the docking station in order to allow for the coupling of the standard telephone instrument to the transceiver of the cellular mobile handset. This docking station allows for the connection of the cellular mobile handset to the RJ-11 in-premises-wiring of a home or office via an interface, which interface includes a cellular-interface device, such as that disclosed in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,096, West, et al., whereby one or more POTS or POTS-type telephone sets may be connected to a cellular network for making and receiving calls over the cellular network. The cellular-connection may be accomplished using TDMA, GSM, CDMA, or AMPS technology, and the equivalents thereof. The interface provides the necessary central-office functions, such as dial tone, ring voltage, and the like, to the connected POTS instruments.
However, a considerable problem with this prior-art, fixed docking station is that a number of different versions have been required in order to meet the different configurations of the mobile handsets. Thus, a separate version has been required for each of TDMA, GSM, CDMA, or AMPS technologies, rather than one, universal adapter that may be used in all cellular-technology versions. Moreover, since the cellular mobile handset must be stationarily mounted in the docking station, the cellular mobile handset is prevented from being operated in a mobile environment, but must remain fixed in place in the docking station, if the telephone instruments are to remain connected to the cellular network.
Bluetooth-wireless technology, which has allowed remote, wireless connectivity between hardware devices, such as computers and printers, is now also used in cellular mobile handsets for allowing remote, wireless connection between a laptop or desktop computer and the cellular mobile handset for connecting the laptop or desktop computer to the Internet via the cellular or cellular-like network. Examples of Bluetooth-enabled cellular mobile handsets are the Nokia models 6310, 7650, 8910, and Ericsson models R320, R520, T28, T39, and T68, which utilize 3-Com Corp.""s Bluetooth-wireless technology. Bluetooth-wireless specification includes both a link layer and application layer that support data and voice. Cellular radios that utilize Bluetooth wireless specification operate in the 2.4 GHz. radio spectrum using a spread spectrum, frequency hopping, full-duplex signaling at up to 1600 hops./sec. The signal hops among 79 frequencies at 1 MHz. intervals to give a high degree of interference immunity.
It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a cellular-mobile-handset docking station utilizing Bluetooth-wireless technology for coupling a cellular mobile handset having a Bluetooth-wireless transceiver to a cellular-mobile-handset docking station that couples a standard POTS telephone set to the Bluetooth-enabled transceiver of the cellular mobile handset, whereby the cellular mobile handset need not be physically and stationarily positioned in the docking station, but may be allowed mobility with regard to the docking station, so that the cellular mobile handset may be used independently of, and remotely from, the actual docking station, while still allowing the cellular interface device of the docking station to connect the standard POTS telephone set, or POTS-like telephone unit, to the cellular, or cellular-like, network.
It is, also, the primary objective of the present invention to provide such a cellular-mobile-handset docking station utilizing Bluetooth-wireless connectivity for coupling a cellular mobile handset having a Bluetooth-enabled transceiver to a cellular-mobile-handset docking station that couples a plurality of standard POTS telephone sets, or POTS-like telephone units, including cordless telephones, to the Bluetooth-enabled transceiver of the cellular mobile handset via RJ-11 in-premises wiring, whereby each of the standard POTS telephone sets, or POTS-like telephone units may be coupled to the cellular, or cellular-like, network.
It is, also, the primary objective of the present invention to provide such a cellular-mobile-handset docking station utilizing Bluetooth-wireless connectivity for coupling a cellular mobile handset that is able to accommodate any Bluetooth-enabled cellular mobile handset, whether it be based on TDMA, GSM, CDMA, or AMPS specifications, without requiring a separate and different version thereof.
It is, also, the primary objective of the present invention to provide such a cellular-mobile-handset docking station utilizing Bluetooth-wireless connectivity for coupling a cellular mobile handset that is able to accommodate any Bluetooth-enabled cellular mobile handset, whether it be based on TDMA, GSM, CDMA, or AMPS specifications, which Bluetooth-wireless docking station of the invention accommodates and works with multiple and different cellular mobile handsets in the same home, allowing the user to choose that cellular mobile handset that offers the most advantageous rate plan at any given time or period.
The Bluetooth-wireless docking station of the present invention for use with a Bluetooth-enabled cellular mobile handset allows mobility to the cellular mobile handset rather than requiring it to be fixed stationarily in the docking station as the prior-art docking station, whereby the cellular mobile handset may be used to make or receive calls remote from the docking station, while still allowing coupling of the standard POTS telephone sets, or POTS-like telephone units, on the in-premises wiring to the cellular, or cellular like, network. The microprocessor-controlled docking station communicates with the Bluetooth-enabled cellular mobile handset via a Bluetooth-wireless transceiver using Bluetooth-wireless air-interface protocol, with the POTS telephone sets being connected to the Bluetooth-wireless transceiver by a CODEC and a subscriber-line interface circuit coupled to the standard POTS telephone sets, whereby the phones may make or receive calls via the cellular, or cellular like, network. The subscriber line interface provides loop current, ring signaling, dial tone, loop current detect, flash detection, DTMF conversion, and other central office functions to the telephone sets. As long as the cellular mobile handset is within range of the Bluetooth-wireless transceiver of the docking station, the telephones are connected to the cellular network, as long as the cellular mobile handset is not engaged in a call of its own.